1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a heat-sensitive odor-emitting component which emits an odorous material upon a rise in temperature.
2. Prior Art
In conventional electric equipment, domestic equipment, and other equipment, for example, an increase in load, a contact failure, or leakage of electricity causes the flow of overcurrent which extremely increases the temperature of the equipment. This is causative of a fault or sometimes leads to a great overheating accident such as a fire.
In an example of a method for preventing the overheating accident, a color change tape, which causes a change in color upon a rise in temperature, is previously applied to a site where heat generation is expected, and whether or not the color has been changed is viewed to detect the abnormal heat generation phenomenon. This method is disadvantageous in that there is a need to always monitor the color-change tape and a local overheating phenomenon within the equipment cannot be accurately grasped.
Further, a method is also considered wherein an electric thermal resistance-type thermal sensor or the like is previously mounted on a site where heat generation is expected and the occurrence of an abnormal heat generation phenomenon is learned, for example, by an alarm. This thermal sensor is generally expensive and, in addition, a large number of thermal sensors, wiring, and alarm equipment should be mounted together. This is not practical from the viewpoint of cost.
For overcoming this disadvantage, a method has been proposed wherein an odor-emitting material, such as an alcohol, is sealed into a resin capsule, a resin tape, or a resin tube and this is previously mounted on a site where heat generation is expected. In this method, upon heat generation, the capsule or the like, into which the odor-emitting material has been sealed, is melted, and the odor-emitting material present inside the capsule or the like is emitted. As a result, the presence or absence of the odor is perceived by a person near the equipment either directly or indirectly by means of a gas detector or the like to detect the occurrence of the abnormal overheating phenomenon (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 18831/1993, 66646/1994, and 66647/1994).
In the above conventional odor-emitting capsule, an odor-emitting material has been sealed into a resin capsule, tape, or tube. Since the resin (polymeric material) for forming the capsule, tape or the like is generally larger in specific heat and melting temperature width as compared with inorganic materials such as metals, the temperature working accuracy is low. As a result, there is a fear that the odor-emitting material does not work even when the temperature has reached the abnormal overheating temperature region, or otherwise the odor-emitting material works before the temperature reaches the abnormal overheating temperature region. Further, the durability and adhesion to heat generation site of the resin material are so low that long-term stability is also disadvantageously poor.
In addition, the abnormal overheating temperature at a site as an monitoring object varies depending upon the type of the equipment and the like. In the construction of the conventional odor-emitting capsule, it is difficult to control the operating temperature with high accuracy.